Thoughts from a rural resident with ideas, opinions, and beliefs that usually aren't the norm for the neighborhood.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

What Sacrifice?

SACRIFICEFor God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Allowing innocent substitutes to be sacrificed and blaming subsequent generations for the crimes of their ancestors is a commonly accepted practice of this just and loving god.

So god makes the rules, doesn't want to enforce the rules, but can't change the rules because that would not make him look too godly. So he concocts this bizarre arrangement to sacrifice himself to himself to appease himself. If we decide to look at this rationally and do not accept the validity of a substitute sacrifice or doubt that god actually sacrificed anything, this loving god sends us to eternal torment. Nice huh? Give us a rational mind and then punish us for using it.

And what exactly was sacrificed? Jesus was God, after all, and was resurrected just a few days later. A day of torture (and you knew it all beforehand because you arranged it all) an eternity of bliss sitting beside, er - yourself?

Does any of this convoluted story sound like the work of an all-knowing, all-loving god? Does it make any sort of sense? It doesn't to me. If we are to believe the Bible, then this vengeful, bloodthirsty god of the Old Testament suddenly felt sorry for us and tried to give us a way out - a crazy, nonsensical way out - but a way out nonetheless. But if we don't accept it, he rapidly goes back to his old ways, actually worse ways because Hell didn't exist in the Old Testament.

I don't know if any gods exists or not. I am extremely doubtful. I don't see any logical reason to believe, but I could be wrong. But if a god exists, he certainly cannot be as described in the Bible; at least one would hope not. This 'sacrifice' story is just one of several issues in the Bible that do not depict a being that is even close to being what I would consider "God-like". If I am more ethical and rational, then it is not a god.